mushy crabs after steaming...why?

[divedeeep]

So I caught my first crabs of the year last week and couldn't eat them the same day as they were caught.  So I cleaned the crabs, stored them in plastic containers with lids then refrigerated them for 48 hours.  Took them out of the fridge for maybe 15-20 minutes and dropped them in a steaming pot for exactly 15 minutes.  The meat ended up mushy, not the right consistency or taste at all.  Any suggestions on why or if I did anything wrong in holding them for 48 hours before?  Thanks!

[Stabilizer]

I have never found a correlation between steaming time and mushy crabs.  But a bad crab will definitely be mushy and off tasting.  Its all but certain that holding them uncooked in the refrigerator a few days did it.  Might try putting them on ice (think seafood market display) if you need to hold again similarly.  Or as an option - just steam them when caught (then store in refrigerator) and re-steam them a couple days later when you want to eat them.  I am told from seafood shippers that this is an acceptable practice with little to no distinguishable loss of quality.

Bummer on your crabs - We CBC a bushel of Legends this past Friday evening - OMG they were good.

[Harford Crabber]

I did a similar thing last year just to see the taste.  Did the "Jersey" type cleaning before cooking with about a dozen then put em back in fridge so they wouldn't spoil.   A couple hours later, same day steamed them sitting on top of a few more dozen crabs in the shells for the 6 or 8 of us to eat. All the crabs spent one night in my crab fridge and all were alive before they were cleaned and steamed. (In fact, to my surprise several of em's swimfins continued to move a few minutes after being cleaned and rinsed.)  The pre-cleaned crabs were not mushy however everyone at our table liked the "shells on while steaming" taste of the crabs much better.  I guess it's all in how you were taught to eat em as you were raised?   I ended up having to pick the pre-cleaned crabs out for the meat to be used later.

[Harford Crabber]

BTW- I put water, 12 oz vinegar and some old bay in bottom of pot, put it on full blast heat while loading pot with crabs, then wait to see steam coming from under closed lid  before turning burner down and setting clock for 25 minutes of cook time.  So they actually get about 30-35 minutes of steam while cooking.  Maybe yours were undercooked - 15 minutes?

[divedeeep]

BTW- I put water, 12 oz vinegar and some old bay in bottom of pot, put it on full blast heat while loading pot with crabs, then wait to see steam coming from under closed lid  before turning burner down and setting clock for 25 minutes of cook time.  So they actually get about 30-35 minutes of steam while cooking.  Maybe yours were undercooked - 15 minutes?

So you put crabs in the pot, then bring water to a boil, then start timer?  25 minutes plus seems like a long time, we've always done 15 minutes if the crabs were pre-cleaned and 20 minutes if shell is on.  We put crabs in the pot once the water is fully steaming.

[divedeeep]

I have never found a correlation between steaming time and mushy crabs.  But a bad crab will definitely be mushy and off tasting.  Its all but certain that holding them uncooked in the refrigerator a few days did it.  Might try putting them on ice (think seafood market display) if you need to hold again similarly.  Or as an option - just steam them when caught (then store in refrigerator) and re-steam them a couple days later when you want to eat them.  I am told from seafood shippers that this is an acceptable practice with little to no distinguishable loss of quality.

Bummer on your crabs - We CBC a bushel of Legends this past Friday evening - OMG they were good.

Definitely were NOT on ice and sealed in containers.....another guy thought me storing them that way was the reason for the mushy consistency as well

[Crabcruncher]

Hold the crabs live until ready to process. Pre cleaning crabs and holding even overnight will spoil crabmeat, as a dead crab spoils quickly.
I can hold cleaned crabs for only a couple hours before cooking. Sucks, but thats how it is.

[Wallco99]

So you put crabs in the pot, then bring water to a boil, then start timer?  25 minutes plus seems like a long time, we've always done 15 minutes if the crabs were pre-cleaned and 20 minutes if shell is on.  We put crabs in the pot once the water is fully steaming.

I go even longer cook with CBC, and mine are perfect.

[shtoong]

I go even longer cook with CBC, and mine are perfect.

How long? What's your method?

[ranger521]

I know that if the crabs are light or paper shells or aka whiteys they will come out mushy bc alot of steam gets into the cavities of the crab and accumulates h2o and gets mushy.